Guidelines for a Study Plan: Beginner & Intermediate Levels
Hi!
Would you like to improve your play ? Then it is a good time to setup a study plan! But how? A coach would be certainly of great help. Don't you have one? Don't worry, let's suppose by a moment I'm your coach!
We will follow 3 guidelines to draft a plan. This will not be a detailed plan yet, but a general idea. A detailed plan should be customized to your specific needs and current level (for that we should discuss it in a coaching session).
First, we need to set a workable goal within a certain timeframe. You could play chess just for fun, or for educational and cognitive purposes. Or you may already compete at your local or online chess club. Or even you may have aspirations to play at a high level - perhaps becoming a master. No matter what your long-term goal is, it is better to set intermediate goals. We can split your long-term goals into yearly goals, and even into quarterly goals. We could use your rating to track your progress - either online or OTB. If you are a beginner player, or an intermediate player not keen on ratings, we could set learning goals instead -sooner or later, ratings will follow.
Second, you should allocate some weekly hours to achieve your goal. This is a key factor. All activities should be considered: playing, coaching sessions, studying, training, game analysis, and others. And of course, this should fit your schedule as not to overlap with your daily obligations.
Third, we should select the training material you would use and set the main activities you would work on. All that depends on your specific needs so your plan would be customized.
If you are drafting a plan for the first time, I would suggest setting a modest goal for increasing your Chess.com rapid rating (or a learning goal instead). I would recommend a 12-week time frame that is more flexible than the quarterly format- you can start next Monday!. Then you should schedule the specific number of weekly hours for relevant chess activities, including playing, coaching and homework. At this point, we would try to limit the study material to a minimum quantity but high quality, mainly from online sources and a few books.
We could later on make a detailed list of activities depending on your goals, available time for chess, your personal preferences and specific strengths and weaknesses. After 12 weeks we should evaluate together your progress, revise our plan where necessary and then start a new 12- week cycle for further improvement.
Are you ready to go for your next level? Why don't you start now with a plan?
I would be happy to help you! Please check my profile, and if you’re interested in lessons, please send me a message, and I will reply with details of my coaching services.
Good luck!
